Echoes of Conflict [Igen, Rangiku]

It was all a but of a blur. With everything that had been going on Igen felt like his head was going to spin right off his shoulders, but at some point he just became somewhat robotic. The aches and pains dulled, only to flare up whenever he took a moment to rest. But there was no time for rest just yet. That time would come, but right now he needed to keep moving. He also needed to address some things while he could.

With the restructuring, temporary as it was, there was a demand for the higher officers to keep everyone moving forward.

Squad members staring off into space. Running themselves ragged. Or just breaking down entirely after the conflict. And they needed leadership in top shape to keep everyone going. Lieutenant Rangiku hadnt suffered any life threatening injuries, and since she wasn’t in danger of dying she had been down the priority list for medical attention. However, with the shuffle, Igen had been one of a few healers assigned to getting the upper seated officers up to 100%.

Making his way to the woman’s office, he gentlt knocked on the door. A bit of relief trailing the fatigue. He was a bit grateful to be assigned though, it had been ages since he’d seen the Lieutenant.

Once she spoke up to let him in, he opened the door and offered a warm smile. ”Evening Lieutenant, I’m here to get you patched up.” He chimed with a warm smile.

Rangiku was busy dealing with some paper work as she still wasn't feeling the best. The past few days have been really shitty to say the least. As she continued to write, she heard a knock on the door as she looked up to see who it was. Seeing the door open she smiled when she saw Igen as she sat her pen down and stood up.

"Thank you for your time Igen. I know I'm not that bad off, so I'll try to not take too much time."

She spoke as she moved to a chair in front of her desk. Taking a seat where people coming in would sit as she gestured to the chair beside her. Rangiku had found herself struggling with her ribs as of late. Well, she was struggling with alot of things, but her left ribs were a problem. She'd slide down her shuhakusho on her left arm exposing the wrapping she had been keeping on that entire side of her torso for her injuries.

"My ribs are the main problem."

Igen raised his brows a bit at that and just chuckled lightly. "Miss Matsumoto, you don't gotta worry. Orders are to make sure all officers are fully healed up so that there's nothing to impede our work. Even if it's something small, we need to be in top shape." He insisted with a slight puff of his chest and a widening of those exposed shoulders of his. A little bit of his energy sparking. He couldn't help but be a bit pleased when he was around his old teacher. All the same, making his way around the desk, he paused for a moment and his eyes widened. "Oh you don't have to-." And down went her shuhakusho so that she showed off the bandaged section of her ribs. He was glad Ko wasn't here. After a brief moment to get his bearings, he focused his raikaku and knelt beside the Lieutenant. He gently reached up and let his hand hover just over her bandaged side.

At first, he thought he was mistaken, but after a few seconds, his eyes shot open and he tensed. "L-LIEUTENANT have you been walking around with BROKEN RIBS this entire DAY?!" He balked as he realized what it was he was looking at! Broken was an understatement. Her ribs were SHATTERED! Of course he knew that his Sensei was very durable, the few times they had sparred boy had he noticed, but he was a bit...SHAKEN that she was walking around with such an injury!

He sweated just a little and stared at the injured area, furrowing his brows. "Ahem... Lieutenant, I'm going to need to ask you to... uh..." He stared a bit at her bandaged side and furrowed his brows. His first instinct was that she needed surgery to reallign the broken bits of rib, but ... taking a look. The breaks weren't that numerous. It would be painful but...

"Your ribs need to be set and mended. You're lucky it's not going to need surgery. But I AM going to need you to pause what you're doing and lie down. I'm going to need to push your ribs back into place before mending them." He explained with a sigh, peeling a rolled up pack from his waist. Some field anesthetics and other medical tools.

Suffice to say, Rangiku had NOT been the only officer ignoring serious injury. No less they had also been refusing to go to Second Division for surgery. By now he was almost used to it. Thankfully that wouldn't be an issue here. But he was still a bit startled.

Rangiku would let a small laugh as she saw his reaction to her taking off her uniform. She wasn't stupid, she had wrapped up her chest so it wouldn't be as awkward if she got a medic who may be into them. Taking a breath as she winced a bit feeling her ribs the way they are she coughed slightly causing a shock of pain to shoot through her body.

"Y....yeah, well you should have seen the other guy."

She spoke gently to her previous student. Trying not to allow the pain to show as obviously on her face as she listened to him. She would slowly lie down from where she was sitting still wincing at her ribs as she did so. Getting her back flat against the ground as her breathing began to even out.

"I'll be fine. Just do what you have to do."

Igen still sighed and shook his head as she brushed off his concern. He directed her to get up and make her way over to the couch. Once she laid herself down, he knelt down over her and furrowed his brows as he ... looked at her chest. Thankfully, he was well trained in Kaido. The fact that there was a mess of broken bone and probably slightly lacerated flesh underneath did help him focus on the task at hand. Yea, this wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Ahhhh, alright. Well this isn't what I was expecting. I'm going to need you to separate the ribs. Raise your arm on that side up. Slowly. Moving your arm is going to shift the bone slightly, so raise your arm up as much as you're comfortable, slowly. So that the ribs are spaced a bit more." He instructed, waiting for her to comply so that he could see the ribs slightly reorienting. Ribs were, after all, slightly elastic on some sections. A slow, steady sigh escaped him and he gently held his hand over the spot. A gentle glow of green energy as he applied a very slight numbing sensation, but it wouldn't be complete. Though Rangiku would get a temporary wash of relif as the pain subsided for the time being. Once he started adjusting the bone, she would not be thanking him.

"Boy I really could use a drink. Never thought I'd get so much use out of my Kaido training here in the sereitei. Those Kido lessons weren't for nothing." He noted with a sheepish smile. Engaging with the woman to ensure that her mind was, at least slightly, distracted from what he was about to do. "It's funny, first we became peers just as fellow officers, and now you're the temporary lieutenant above me during ..all this." He chuckled, and in that moment, he gently laid hsi fingers along the edge of her ribs, and pressed. His Reikaku focused, making sure it was perfect.

It slid back into place, and it would feel like she had been stabbed in the chest. As well..yes. The broken bone would indeed stab into the flesh that had tried to heal around the break. His other hand firmly grasping her shoulder. Just in case she tensed or shifted her body, he'd keep her from accidentally moving too much. As he slowly applied more pressure, and guided the bone back to where it was supposed to be. Pausing after the first one was done, and offering a sheepish smile.

"Alright, thats the first one done. two more to do. It's a bit easier if we keep talking." He advised.

Rangiku did as she was instructed and once the ribs started moving the discomfort was clear on her face. She was in pain, but she was going to resist it. She didn't want to cause any trouble for the healer as she continued to work like she should. Trying to keep the conversation she smiled back to the time she had him in her classes.

"Yeah, some people weren't so fond of the kido lessons. We do them for reason, not just to make your life hell."

She spoke gently as the pain her voice was clear. Her ribs were very bad off and she wasn't sure why she waited so long. She should have went and got healed, but she had rejected immediate treatment. Opting in for people who needed it more, but it just made the breaks even worse than they already were. A direct shock of pain shot up through her spine as she let our an exhale of relief as she felt that one heal. Her breath hitching as she exhaled through her nose.

"Well, once we start to get things settled down. Maybe we can get a drink together, hm?"

She questioned as she readied herself for the next rib. Feeling herself wince once more as she readied herself. She probably should have went right away, but water under the bridge or whatever. She tried to continue to make the job easy for Igen.

"How's ko doing?"

Igen chuckled softly, glad at least that the Lieutenant was keeping her humor in the midst of all this, his hand continued to gently hold her down as he found the second rib. "Well, I think the Fourth Division might have something to say against that. You wouldn't believe some of the reports we've had. Well. A fair number of them from Eigth, so maybe you would." He sighed, and pressed the second rib into place. Keeping his grip on her so that she didn't have to worry about having to keep herself in place while he did this. If this was more than just a few ribs honestly he might have just tied her down or something, but thankfully, she was made of stern enough stuff that he could work like this.

"Koozoku is actually really fine, to my surprise she has ... done really well. When I was hurt from Africa, she ... kinda was fine helping me do officer work when my hands weren't working. And uh, now she just is kinda still helping out all the time. Shes also gotten a bit nicer!" He chuckled, sweating a little as he remembered Koozoku's very own commentary when she had met Rangiku. "Right now she's actually doing the same. Checking up on Officers to ensure no uh... untreated wounds are hanging around. The ones she find I work my way around to treating them." He noted as he let her take a moment to breathe and settle herself before he worked the third rib.

"Its uh... been an interesting month or so. And a ... interesting twenty four hours." He noted sheepishly. Pausing for a moment as he focused on the ribs, thankfully able to just sense to see if there was any bruising rather than having to uh, remove the bandages. Well, hed still have to check for any discoloration or other signs of infection. Welp.... hed worry about that once her ribs were set. OH! He then realized, what with her still looking at him expectantly, that he'd glossed over her other question.

"Of course! It's .. been a while heh. But we definitely ... definitely should. Once all this healing duty is over I'm going to need a drink." He sighed with a sheepish smile.

She listened to him talk as she relaxed as much as she could. Trying to take any weight or pressure off her ribs as she could. Feeling him touch the second one caused her to let out an audible gasps as her left hand clenched hard. Finger nails digging into skin as she fought not to move. Not wanting to mess up the healing and cause the shinigami any trouble. Speaking through gritted teeth as she tried to keep her composure.


"G.....good. I'm glad. I don't hold grudges."

She speaks lightly as she allowed her breath to even out. The pain residing as she smiled at her friends reaction as she tapped his nose with a smile. She speaks gently yo him as she tried to catch herself.

"Well go and get something. It'll be on me since it's been awhile."

Igen chuckled softly and smiled sheepishly as he focused and continued to apply that gentle pressure, taking a moment to inspect her last rib. "Alright. Well, this is it. The last one. Then we'll be healing the bone. That won't be great, but it'll be almost over." He assured her, taking a moment to let her brace herself. Right, just a bit more, and once she was read, he gently grasped her shoulder and promptly began to guide that rib back into place. A slow, steady shift of that broken bone back to the spot it was supposed to be. His eyes narrowed as he made sure that everything lined up the way that it was supposed to. Trying to time the motion between the woman's breath before finally, eh applied a firm pulse of reiryoku to the spot. The sensation of bone promptly being energized and begin to mend would feel bizarre and painful. Not that he could do that rapidly. No. What he was actually doing was applying a sort of subdermal splint. A coating of reiryoku which would act like a sort of gum between the pieces to keep them in place and keep the broken pieces from disturbing the tissue.

And with that, he promptly began to supply her with spirit energy. She'd feel a bit lightheaded no doubt, and well, he hardly had the reserves to mend her completely. But with that all done, her ribs would be able to mend the rest of the way themselves.

"Whew. Alright! Now you're going to need to uh... NOT do work, for the rest of the evening." He informed her, rummaging through his medical pack and holding up a small vial, but abstaining from handing it over."[/color] You should get ready to relax, and uh... youre gonna NOT be drinking for the next twenty four hours. Doctors orders. In order to ensure our forces are fighting fit, I'm establishing a medical restriction until..."[/color] He checked the time. It was ... oof. Like 9pm. "Five AM. You will remain as still as you can. And that means no work. With that, and the medicine here. Your bone recovery will be stimulated enough that you'll be good by tomorrow. I understand that you still have work to do. I'll be ensuring that seated officers get assigned to it. Kei and I will take over any authorizations that you'd otherwise need to immediately take in the meantime. But, on the plus side. Once this is over. You'll be back to a hundred percent. ... Well...Physically." He explained, his voice briefly going firm and blunt. His doctor's voice that he found himself using all too often, and probably would be using quite a bit.

He took a moment and then cleared his throat. "In the meantime, however. Before you take the medicine. We need to make sure you aren't experiencing any signs of infection. We'll need to take a look under the bandages. If need be, I can get a female nurse to do the inspection. But we will need to verify before we can resume treatment. IF theres any signs of infection we'll need to slightly alter your treatment."

Rangiku listened to him after the last ribs was pushed back in. Wincing once more, but she wasn't crying out this time. She had adjusted to the pain so she didn't really need to let out the groans as she thought about what was coming next. Listening to her orders she was about to argue but went against it. She needed to heal, and she needed to trust that other people could handle her job without her.

"Alright, Igen. You win. I'll rest."

Hearing the rest of what he had to see had her raise an eye brow at him. What would be the point? She didn't want to take anymore time than she had to. So she would shake her head as she spoke out to him. She kept her voice gentle and understanding, but she didn't want to take anymore time or resources.

"If you're okay doing it, I can just cover them. I don't want to take anymore resources from your squad. You're needed elsewhere, so we need to hurry."